Leave Some Leaves for Winter Habitat Protection
Great spangled fritillary (Syperia cybeles (fabricius)) is one of many invertebrates that tucks itself into leaf piles for warmth and protection over the cold winter months. (Photo: John Yuschock, Bugwood.org)
If you are old enough to remember the autumn ritual of burning leaves, you might also remember “ash” cans, the heavy duty metal cans that held the remnants of leaf ash and embers after the huge pile on the curb had been jumped in, raked up, jumped in again, and … finally, burned. Most jurisdictions no longer allow leaf burning given concerns for air quality. Now, instead of burning, we rake and bag or vacuum up every last piece of leaf “litter”.
That “litter” is not trash! To an invertebrate and other animals, it’s gold! The desiccated leaves we are so eager to rid from our lawns host an amazing array of insects and other invertebrates. Critters such as toads, salamanders, songbirds, and mammals use leaf litter for winter habitat, food, and nesting material. Birds can often be seen picking through leaf litter in mid-winter as food sources may be scarce.
Access to good nesting and wintering locations is one of the most important factors that influences the next year’s population of bees, fireflies, and other beneficial insects. Yet, our landscape aesthetic almost demands that we remove every leaf from the lawn, robbing wildlife of habitat, birds a source of sustenance, and ourselves a healthy diversity of pollinators for the next spring and summer.
Can we change our aesthetic without feeling that we have abandoned our lawns to wilderness? Leaving some leaves doesn’t mean that we need to let leaves remain where they fall. They can be raked into garden beds, spread around the base of a tree, or put in a bed of ground cover such as pachysandra or English ivy…no on will see them there and you will be protecting an array of life for the next year!
A perfect way to increase the population of fireflies and other charismatic and beneficial insects:
Rake leaves under a shrub. Wet them down if you’re worried about them blowing away. Or put up a small fence to contain some leaves. Proudly display a sign letting neighbors know that Leaving the Leaves plays an important role in the ecosystem.
Many families in Franklin Park and Forest have been including native plants in their gardens to benefit pollinators and increase biodiversity. Now, those pollinators need a place to hide-out for the winter, and Mother Nature’s solution is leaf litter! Insects lay eggs in the leaf piles and feed on and under the leaf layer. Leaves are a natural habitat for butterflies, salamanders, chipmunks, box turtles, toads, shrews, earthworms and others.
So…leave some leaves! Then look for pollinators in the spring and enjoy more fireflies next summer!
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